Great-grandmother blasts council after tripping on uneven pavement

A GREAT-grandmother who banged her head after a fall on an uneven pavement has urged the council to do something about it before “somebody kills themselves.”

Doreen Crossley, aged 80, was walking along Plodder Lane, near Glynne Street, in Farnworth, when she fell over the cracked concrete and hit her head, leaving her battered and bruised.

A neighbour called an ambulance and she was taken to Royal Bolton Hospital for stitches.

When she returned home she reported the problem to Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South East, who has written to Sean Harriss, chief executive of Bolton Council.

The council has now assessed the pavement and agreed to undertake some repairs to it.

Mrs Crossley said: “I am quite fit so imagine if someone less able than me falls?

“I may be 80 but I am not a doddery old lady. I do everything for myself — cleaning and cooking. But since the fall I have lost my confidence.

"The man who called the ambulance said that I was not the first person who has fallen there.

“I think if I had to walk that way again I will walk on the other side of the road. I’m still in a lot of pain.”

Mrs Crossley had earlier attended a funeral on February 26 when she fell.

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She said: “There is a tree on the street, which is bringing up the roots.

"I think when I fell I tripped and tried to save myself by putting my hands out and hit my head.”

Ms Qureshi added: “It is really important that pavements which the public walk on should be safe. Bearing in mind that we have a lot of elderly and disabled people.

“Obstructions that cause people to fall should be removed to prevent accidents like this from happening.”

A council spokesman said: "First and foremost we would like to wish Mrs Crossley a full and speedy recovery.

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“We do carry out footpath inspections across the borough regularly and as soon as we received this complaint we went out and assessed the condition of the footpath.

"While on previous inspections no faults have come to light we established on this occasion that there were some small amounts of unevenness, which is inevitable at the base of such a tree, and we will undertake some repairs to the pavement."

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Comments (15)

The council cannot be everywhere all the time.... It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur Either directly at streetcare@bolton.go v.uk or via one of the web reporting sites (apps available) such as fixmystreet.com

The council cannot be everywhere all the time.... It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur
Either directly at streetcare@bolton.go
v.uk
or via one of the web reporting sites (apps available)
such as
fixmystreet.comatlas123

The council cannot be everywhere all the time.... It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur Either directly at streetcare@bolton.go v.uk or via one of the web reporting sites (apps available) such as fixmystreet.com

Score: 21

JOHN HIGHAM says...9:57am Thu 13 Mar 14

atlas123 wrote…

The council cannot be everywhere all the time.... It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur Either directly at streetcare@bolton.go v.uk or via one of the web reporting sites (apps available) such as fixmystreet.com

Correct " It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur" But what gets done by them NOTHING, and only when a claim goes in against them something is done. They like spending money on parties for themselves but not doing what council tax is paid for............

[quote][p][bold]atlas123[/bold] wrote:
The council cannot be everywhere all the time.... It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur
Either directly at streetcare@bolton.go
v.uk
or via one of the web reporting sites (apps available)
such as
fixmystreet.com[/p][/quote]Correct
" It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur"
But what gets done by them NOTHING, and only when a claim goes in against them something is done.
They like spending money on parties for themselves but not doing what council tax is paid for............JOHN HIGHAM

atlas123 wrote…

The council cannot be everywhere all the time.... It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur Either directly at streetcare@bolton.go v.uk or via one of the web reporting sites (apps available) such as fixmystreet.com

Correct " It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur" But what gets done by them NOTHING, and only when a claim goes in against them something is done. They like spending money on parties for themselves but not doing what council tax is paid for............

Score: -3

atlas123 says...10:29am Thu 13 Mar 14

JOHN HIGHAM wrote…

atlas123 wrote…

The council cannot be everywhere all the time.... It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur Either directly at streetcare@bolton.go v.uk or via one of the web reporting sites (apps available) such as fixmystreet.com

Correct " It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur" But what gets done by them NOTHING, and only when a claim goes in against them something is done. They like spending money on parties for themselves but not doing what council tax is paid for............

Well that is a different issue, but if you have reported it and OT is not repaired it give any claim a greater chance of sucess. There is something like a four year backlog on minor works (such as resurfacing residential streets and footpaths) but repairs such as those featured above should be sorted within a couple of weeks... Depending on weather. Of course it may be cheaper to pay for the odd repair/claim than to repair he road... Simple economics but not what ypu want for grannie... I had a pothole outside my house last year. I bought a bag of quick set concrete cleaned out and filled the hole... Simples and less heartache

[quote][p][bold]JOHN HIGHAM[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]atlas123[/bold] wrote:
The council cannot be everywhere all the time.... It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur
Either directly at streetcare@bolton.go
v.uk
or via one of the web reporting sites (apps available)
such as
fixmystreet.com[/p][/quote]Correct
" It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur"
But what gets done by them NOTHING, and only when a claim goes in against them something is done.
They like spending money on parties for themselves but not doing what council tax is paid for............[/p][/quote]Well that is a different issue, but if you have reported it and OT is not repaired it give any claim a greater chance of sucess.
There is something like a four year backlog on minor works (such as resurfacing residential streets and footpaths) but repairs such as those featured above should be sorted within a couple of weeks... Depending on weather.
Of course it may be cheaper to pay for the odd repair/claim than to repair he road... Simple economics but not what ypu want for grannie...
I had a pothole outside my house last year. I bought a bag of quick set concrete cleaned out and filled the hole... Simples and less heartacheatlas123

JOHN HIGHAM wrote…

atlas123 wrote…

The council cannot be everywhere all the time.... It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur Either directly at streetcare@bolton.go v.uk or via one of the web reporting sites (apps available) such as fixmystreet.com

Correct " It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur" But what gets done by them NOTHING, and only when a claim goes in against them something is done. They like spending money on parties for themselves but not doing what council tax is paid for............

Well that is a different issue, but if you have reported it and OT is not repaired it give any claim a greater chance of sucess. There is something like a four year backlog on minor works (such as resurfacing residential streets and footpaths) but repairs such as those featured above should be sorted within a couple of weeks... Depending on weather. Of course it may be cheaper to pay for the odd repair/claim than to repair he road... Simple economics but not what ypu want for grannie... I had a pothole outside my house last year. I bought a bag of quick set concrete cleaned out and filled the hole... Simples and less heartache

It's all well and good reporting things but they never get sorted. I had a fall last year on the backstreet between Costa and Beales (was forced to cross further down due to loading vehicles). I tripped over a massive pothole while pregnant and ended up in hospital. I would never encourage anyone to "sue" because it isn't the council's fault that there is a hole there and I suppose if I had been staring at the ground over my huge belly I would have seen it. I emailed the street team to make them aware of the hole and never got a reply. Not even to say sod off we have no money or it isn't our responsibility. Great customer service! Was just a complete waste of 5 minutes typing the email to be honest. It is everyone's responsibility to report things but when you get ignored it puts people off.

It's all well and good reporting things but they never get sorted. I had a fall last year on the backstreet between Costa and Beales (was forced to cross further down due to loading vehicles). I tripped over a massive pothole while pregnant and ended up in hospital. I would never encourage anyone to "sue" because it isn't the council's fault that there is a hole there and I suppose if I had been staring at the ground over my huge belly I would have seen it. I emailed the street team to make them aware of the hole and never got a reply. Not even to say sod off we have no money or it isn't our responsibility. Great customer service! Was just a complete waste of 5 minutes typing the email to be honest. It is everyone's responsibility to report things but when you get ignored it puts people off.muffinnotbarm

It's all well and good reporting things but they never get sorted. I had a fall last year on the backstreet between Costa and Beales (was forced to cross further down due to loading vehicles). I tripped over a massive pothole while pregnant and ended up in hospital. I would never encourage anyone to "sue" because it isn't the council's fault that there is a hole there and I suppose if I had been staring at the ground over my huge belly I would have seen it. I emailed the street team to make them aware of the hole and never got a reply. Not even to say sod off we have no money or it isn't our responsibility. Great customer service! Was just a complete waste of 5 minutes typing the email to be honest. It is everyone's responsibility to report things but when you get ignored it puts people off.

Score: 16

Rememberscarborough says...1:17pm Thu 13 Mar 14

Most uneven surfaces are caused by utilities companies digging them up and then not leaving them flat. I hope the council includes a clause in all maintenance contracts that leaves these companies liable for any personal injury claims but I suspect it's just you and me that ends up paying out in increased council taxes....

Most uneven surfaces are caused by utilities companies digging them up and then not leaving them flat. I hope the council includes a clause in all maintenance contracts that leaves these companies liable for any personal injury claims but I suspect it's just you and me that ends up paying out in increased council taxes....Rememberscarborough

Most uneven surfaces are caused by utilities companies digging them up and then not leaving them flat. I hope the council includes a clause in all maintenance contracts that leaves these companies liable for any personal injury claims but I suspect it's just you and me that ends up paying out in increased council taxes....

Score: 9

Marzi30 says...1:31pm Thu 13 Mar 14

Try walking down Knowsley Street near the Market Place, it puts the Krypton Factor assault course to shame

Try walking down Knowsley Street near the Market Place, it puts the Krypton Factor assault course to shameMarzi30

Try walking down Knowsley Street near the Market Place, it puts the Krypton Factor assault course to shame

Score: 9

wsw69 says...3:21pm Thu 13 Mar 14

JOHN HIGHAM wrote…

atlas123 wrote…

The council cannot be everywhere all the time.... It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur Either directly at streetcare@bolton.go v.uk or via one of the web reporting sites (apps available) such as fixmystreet.com

Correct " It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur" But what gets done by them NOTHING, and only when a claim goes in against them something is done. They like spending money on parties for themselves but not doing what council tax is paid for............

When I've called Bolton Council regards pavement and pothole issues, they haven't hung around. And people who know me from on here can vouch, I am no supporter of this lousy council, but I will give them credit on this issue. John, when was the last time you have reported a duff paving stone or flag, or a pothole? With the mileage you drive you should be reporting potholes like they are going out of fashion! So John, be careful when walking along the streets heading back to your driving instructors car.

[quote][p][bold]JOHN HIGHAM[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]atlas123[/bold] wrote:
The council cannot be everywhere all the time.... It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur
Either directly at streetcare@bolton.go
v.uk
or via one of the web reporting sites (apps available)
such as
fixmystreet.com[/p][/quote]Correct
" It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur"
But what gets done by them NOTHING, and only when a claim goes in against them something is done.
They like spending money on parties for themselves but not doing what council tax is paid for............[/p][/quote]When I've called Bolton Council regards pavement and pothole issues, they haven't hung around. And people who know me from on here can vouch, I am no supporter of this lousy council, but I will give them credit on this issue.
John, when was the last time you have reported a duff paving stone or flag, or a pothole? With the mileage you drive you should be reporting potholes like they are going out of fashion!
So John, be careful when walking along the streets heading back to your driving instructors car.wsw69

JOHN HIGHAM wrote…

atlas123 wrote…

The council cannot be everywhere all the time.... It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur Either directly at streetcare@bolton.go v.uk or via one of the web reporting sites (apps available) such as fixmystreet.com

Correct " It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur" But what gets done by them NOTHING, and only when a claim goes in against them something is done. They like spending money on parties for themselves but not doing what council tax is paid for............

When I've called Bolton Council regards pavement and pothole issues, they haven't hung around. And people who know me from on here can vouch, I am no supporter of this lousy council, but I will give them credit on this issue. John, when was the last time you have reported a duff paving stone or flag, or a pothole? With the mileage you drive you should be reporting potholes like they are going out of fashion! So John, be careful when walking along the streets heading back to your driving instructors car.

Score: 11

wsw69 says...3:32pm Thu 13 Mar 14

goldie47 wrote…

get them sued

IDIOT!!! Such a comment shows the mentality and scrooge like approach. Get them told about the issue is more like what it should be. But considering your approach that obviously isn't the first thing that needs to be done. Money first, everything else second. IDIOT!!!!

[quote][p][bold]goldie47[/bold] wrote:
get them sued[/p][/quote]IDIOT!!!
Such a comment shows the mentality and scrooge like approach.
Get them told about the issue is more like what it should be. But considering your approach that obviously isn't the first thing that needs to be done. Money first, everything else second.
IDIOT!!!!wsw69

goldie47 wrote…

get them sued

IDIOT!!! Such a comment shows the mentality and scrooge like approach. Get them told about the issue is more like what it should be. But considering your approach that obviously isn't the first thing that needs to be done. Money first, everything else second. IDIOT!!!!

Score: 6

aardwolf says...5:53pm Thu 13 Mar 14

alternatively... pick your feet up.

alternatively... pick your feet up.aardwolf

alternatively... pick your feet up.

Score: 2

Beyond News Forum says...6:34pm Thu 13 Mar 14

atlas123 wrote…

JOHN HIGHAM wrote…

atlas123 wrote…

The council cannot be everywhere all the time.... It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur Either directly at streetcare@bolton.go v.uk or via one of the web reporting sites (apps available) such as fixmystreet.com

Correct " It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur" But what gets done by them NOTHING, and only when a claim goes in against them something is done. They like spending money on parties for themselves but not doing what council tax is paid for............

Well that is a different issue, but if you have reported it and OT is not repaired it give any claim a greater chance of sucess. There is something like a four year backlog on minor works (such as resurfacing residential streets and footpaths) but repairs such as those featured above should be sorted within a couple of weeks... Depending on weather. Of course it may be cheaper to pay for the odd repair/claim than to repair he road... Simple economics but not what ypu want for grannie... I had a pothole outside my house last year. I bought a bag of quick set concrete cleaned out and filled the hole... Simples and less heartache

And if your kindhearted work had become broken or shattered causing injury, guess who the council will come looking for. It is just not worth doing the repairs the council should be doing. You are not insured to do the work and so should not be carrying out the work - I understand your kindhearted solution don't get me wrong. Now to quote the council at the the end of the report: “We do carry out footpath inspections across the borough regularly and as soon as we received this complaint we went out and assessed the condition of the footpath. "While on previous inspections no faults have come to light we established on this occasion that there were some small amounts of unevenness, which is inevitable at the base of such a tree, and we will undertake some repairs to the pavement." Absolute garbage, when was that area last surveyed? That disrepair is obviously years old. Just like the footpaths that have been 'inspected' in my locality, they are knackered, but nothing has been done for years. I would like to add that the attitude IS that of it is cheaper to payout the claims - so everybody should claim if they do get injured. The fact that we people are being ripped off left right and centre just backs up the need for people to keep pushing the council even if the actions are unethical or cause outrage.

[quote][p][bold]atlas123[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]JOHN HIGHAM[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]atlas123[/bold] wrote:
The council cannot be everywhere all the time.... It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur
Either directly at streetcare@bolton.go
v.uk
or via one of the web reporting sites (apps available)
such as
fixmystreet.com[/p][/quote]Correct
" It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur"
But what gets done by them NOTHING, and only when a claim goes in against them something is done.
They like spending money on parties for themselves but not doing what council tax is paid for............[/p][/quote]Well that is a different issue, but if you have reported it and OT is not repaired it give any claim a greater chance of sucess.
There is something like a four year backlog on minor works (such as resurfacing residential streets and footpaths) but repairs such as those featured above should be sorted within a couple of weeks... Depending on weather.
Of course it may be cheaper to pay for the odd repair/claim than to repair he road... Simple economics but not what ypu want for grannie...
I had a pothole outside my house last year. I bought a bag of quick set concrete cleaned out and filled the hole... Simples and less heartache[/p][/quote]And if your kindhearted work had become broken or shattered causing injury, guess who the council will come looking for. It is just not worth doing the repairs the council should be doing. You are not insured to do the work and so should not be carrying out the work - I understand your kindhearted solution don't get me wrong.
Now to quote the council at the the end of the report: “We do carry out footpath inspections across the borough regularly and as soon as we received this complaint we went out and assessed the condition of the footpath.
"While on previous inspections no faults have come to light we established on this occasion that there were some small amounts of unevenness, which is inevitable at the base of such a tree, and we will undertake some repairs to the pavement."
Absolute garbage, when was that area last surveyed? That disrepair is obviously years old. Just like the footpaths that have been 'inspected' in my locality, they are knackered, but nothing has been done for years.
I would like to add that the attitude IS that of it is cheaper to payout the claims - so everybody should claim if they do get injured. The fact that we people are being ripped off left right and centre just backs up the need for people to keep pushing the council even if the actions are unethical or cause outrage.Beyond News Forum

atlas123 wrote…

JOHN HIGHAM wrote…

atlas123 wrote…

The council cannot be everywhere all the time.... It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur Either directly at streetcare@bolton.go v.uk or via one of the web reporting sites (apps available) such as fixmystreet.com

Correct " It is everyone's responsibility to report problems as they occur" But what gets done by them NOTHING, and only when a claim goes in against them something is done. They like spending money on parties for themselves but not doing what council tax is paid for............

Well that is a different issue, but if you have reported it and OT is not repaired it give any claim a greater chance of sucess. There is something like a four year backlog on minor works (such as resurfacing residential streets and footpaths) but repairs such as those featured above should be sorted within a couple of weeks... Depending on weather. Of course it may be cheaper to pay for the odd repair/claim than to repair he road... Simple economics but not what ypu want for grannie... I had a pothole outside my house last year. I bought a bag of quick set concrete cleaned out and filled the hole... Simples and less heartache

And if your kindhearted work had become broken or shattered causing injury, guess who the council will come looking for. It is just not worth doing the repairs the council should be doing. You are not insured to do the work and so should not be carrying out the work - I understand your kindhearted solution don't get me wrong. Now to quote the council at the the end of the report: “We do carry out footpath inspections across the borough regularly and as soon as we received this complaint we went out and assessed the condition of the footpath. "While on previous inspections no faults have come to light we established on this occasion that there were some small amounts of unevenness, which is inevitable at the base of such a tree, and we will undertake some repairs to the pavement." Absolute garbage, when was that area last surveyed? That disrepair is obviously years old. Just like the footpaths that have been 'inspected' in my locality, they are knackered, but nothing has been done for years. I would like to add that the attitude IS that of it is cheaper to payout the claims - so everybody should claim if they do get injured. The fact that we people are being ripped off left right and centre just backs up the need for people to keep pushing the council even if the actions are unethical or cause outrage.

Score: 0

mr.mark.c says...6:35pm Thu 13 Mar 14

goldie47 wrote…

get them sued

One problem, the people that payout are the good people of Bolton that pay council tax. I think they payout about £400,000 a year in claims, that cash could fix a hell of a lot of potholes and pavements.

[quote][p][bold]goldie47[/bold] wrote:
get them sued[/p][/quote]One problem, the people that payout are the good people of Bolton that pay council tax.
I think they payout about £400,000 a year in claims, that cash could fix a hell of a lot of potholes and pavements.mr.mark.c

goldie47 wrote…

get them sued

One problem, the people that payout are the good people of Bolton that pay council tax. I think they payout about £400,000 a year in claims, that cash could fix a hell of a lot of potholes and pavements.

Yeah if the trees are causing damage then why did the council not take them out? Roots take YEARS to grow like that, and it will have been YEARS since that path was inspected - if so why have YEARS of root growth not been noted and dealt with?

[quote][p][bold]atlas123[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]goldie47[/bold] wrote:
get them sued[/p][/quote]Yeah; Sue them trees...!
Bloody Cliff Morris taking backhanders from these trees.[/p][/quote]Yeah if the trees are causing damage then why did the council not take them out? Roots take YEARS to grow like that, and it will have been YEARS since that path was inspected - if so why have YEARS of root growth not been noted and dealt with?Beyond News Forum

Yeah if the trees are causing damage then why did the council not take them out? Roots take YEARS to grow like that, and it will have been YEARS since that path was inspected - if so why have YEARS of root growth not been noted and dealt with?

Score: 3

wsw69 says...7:42pm Thu 13 Mar 14

mr.mark.c wrote…

goldie47 wrote…

get them sued

One problem, the people that payout are the good people of Bolton that pay council tax. I think they payout about £400,000 a year in claims, that cash could fix a hell of a lot of potholes and pavements.

These kind of people are that thick they can't even realise that that they are paying out for their own claims.

[quote][p][bold]mr.mark.c[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]goldie47[/bold] wrote:
get them sued[/p][/quote]One problem, the people that payout are the good people of Bolton that pay council tax.
I think they payout about £400,000 a year in claims, that cash could fix a hell of a lot of potholes and pavements.[/p][/quote]These kind of people are that thick they can't even realise that that they are paying out for their own claims.wsw69

mr.mark.c wrote…

goldie47 wrote…

get them sued

One problem, the people that payout are the good people of Bolton that pay council tax. I think they payout about £400,000 a year in claims, that cash could fix a hell of a lot of potholes and pavements.

These kind of people are that thick they can't even realise that that they are paying out for their own claims.

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